Multi-screen display techniques have been implemented or proposed whereby a plurality of streams derived from broadcasts, networks, or storage are multi-decoded into a plurality of pictures to be displayed on a single display.
For example, when a plurality of pictures are displayed in a so-called PinP (Picture in Picture) format, the user can watch the picture of a program on a given channel displayed in large form on a main screen while viewing the picture of a program on another channel display in small form on a sub screen.
And when the pictures of programs on two different channels are displayed side by side in the right-hand half and the left-hand half of the display, the user can simultaneously watch the pictures of the programs on the two channels.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-13712, filed Jun. 25, 1998 in the Japanese Patent Office, discloses techniques which, when multi-screen display is designated in a normal display state, permit quick switchover to multiple screens.